During the early '80s a young voice enthralled Nazrul Sangeet (Songs of Nazrul) listeners in Bangladesh. Her style of singing was inimitable and voice modulation was quite perfect.
During those days Feroza Begum was the most popular and distinguished singer of Nazrul Sangeet. She was the only Bangladeshi living singer who directly took lessons from National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam during the gramophone age in British India.
After the partition of India, in '50s and '60s Nazrul Sangeet singers like Laila Arjumand Banu, Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, Bedaruddin Ahmed, Sohrab Hossain, Sudhin Das and Khalid Hossain came up.
They largely worked on popularising Nazrul Songs keeping their 'original tunes' unchanged.
They formed a panel of trainers of Nazrul Sangeet and also worked hard to prepare correct notations based on original gramophone recordings and trained others.
They were followed by another crop of names like M A Mannan, Yakub Ali Khan, Md Salahuddin, Shabnam Mushtari, Yasmin Mushtari, Shaheen Samad, Dalia Nausheen, Sadya Afreen Mallick, Nashid Kamal, Khairul Anam Shakil, Sumon Chowdhury, Muntahrin Mahal, Sujit Mustafa, Fatema Tuz Zohra, Ferdous Ara, Lina Taposi Khan and Rahat Ara Geeti.
They have earned appreciation from connoisseurs and listeners of Nazrul songs. The timing of their emergence in the realm of music is '70s to '90s.
Almost all of them have made their own marks in this particular area, some with greater success and they are still continuing it.
In early 80s, came up Shamshy Faruque Shimky who astounded the listeners with her own style of singing, when she started performing regularly on radio and television.
A brilliant classical music vocalist, with her melodious and well-rehearsed vocal purity, she found a niche in the realm of Nazrul Sangeet within a short span of time.
Those were the days when Radio Bangladesh and Bangladesh Television were the only electronic mass media broadcasting different musical programmes including Nazrul Sangeet.
In addition, music cassettes of some artistes were available in the market. People used to collect those cassettes. Many also went for selective recording of their favourite songs mostly from the music stores.
A few of them even recorded songs directly from radio and TV sets on their recorders at home. Stage performances by eminent singers marking the birth and death anniversaries of Kazi Nazrul Islam also attracted the listeners.
Discussions on Nazrul Sangeet and performances by different artistes had their appeal even to the common listeners as their own favourite singers were among them. Shimky was one of them who commanded respect of many listeners (including this writer), especially the younger ones, for their own style of singing.
Born in Bogra in 1966, Shimky entered the realm of music in the very childhood of her life and first appeared on a stage at the age of five.
Her uncle Kutubuddin was her first instructor. From him she received the primary lessons on music.
Her father AFM Shamsuddin, a banker by profession, along with her mother Hazera Khatun lent her great support in learning music during her childhood.
In Shimky's own words: "I am grateful to my parents for their immense support for my singing - from taking me to lessons to taking me to various competitions, programmes on the BTV and Radio, and performances at the Shilpakala Academy and Bangla Academy."
Shimky started taking lessons at the Nazrul Academy in Dhaka in 1975. She completed a five-year training course there and both on Nazrul Sangeet and Classical music.
After completing the five-year course, she took additional lessons from two maestros - Shudhin Das and Akhter Sadmani. Shimky's way of singing fetched her accolade very early in her life as she received President's Gold Medal for Nazrul Sangeet and Classical Music for three consecutive years in 1977, 1978 and 1979.
She also became a top-grade enlisted artiste of both Radio Bangladesh and Bangladesh Television in 1983.
She regularly performed at national programmes organised by the Shilpakala Academy, Bangla Academy, Nazrul Institute, Nazrul Academy and Ministry of Culture.
She visited different countries as a member of Bangladesh cultural teams. During the early '90s there was a popular radio programme titled 'Benuka' that was designed to promote Nazrul songs keeping their original tunes unchanged.
Shimky rendered songs like 'Chonder-o bonnya, horini ononnya' that drew her applause far and wide. She followed the original singing by Parul Sen in 1934 for her gramophone record, when Nazrul was alive.
Her duet on 'Phulo bithi, ele otithi' with Khairul Anam Shakil still touches the hearts of listeners due to her skill of mingling the emotion with the lyric of a beautiful romantic song. Shimky finds the lyrics and melodies of Nazrul Sangeet unparallel.
"I find his songs are clear and simple, yet profoundly emotive and meaningful and he always wrote from the depth of his heart with a wide variety of melodies," the artiste told FE.
"I have always had an interest in exploring melodies. I feel Nazrul Sangeet gives me the freedom to express my creativity, utilise my classical music training within an established and enriched tune."
To pay her deep tribute to Nazrul, Shimky also said: "When I sing his songs I feel I can understand every word and relish every note. It gives me immense pleasure and takes me into a world of happiness and enjoyment."
While music became her greatest passion, Shimky was also a meritorious student throughout her academic carrier.
She stood first among the home economics students in both SSC and HSC exams and also scored 1st class 1st in both BSc (honours) and MSc exams from the Home Economics College under the University of Dhaka.
She also completed her M. Phil on Nutrition Science from the University of Dhaka. She was also a lecturer at Shaheed Anwar Girls' College in Dhaka.
After flying to the United Kingdom in 1996 to start her new life with her husband Dr Maqsud Salehin, now a consultant physician in National Health Service of the UK, Shimky went for higher education.
She completed her MSc in Human Resource Management and Development at the University of Manchester. By profession, the singer is now a Human Resource Consultant at the National Health Service of the UK.
Shimky dedicated the last two decades to her family and two daughters- Sumaiya Salehin and Zarin Salehin. They are now studying medicine at the University of Leeds and the University of Birmingham respectively.
Due to her family obligation, Shimky has taken a long break from public appearance. But she continues her performances for a limited audience. She has performed at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Telford, Manchester, Liverpool, Oldham, Salford, Hull and Newcastle.
In her own words: "Nazrul Sangeet was not only my passion but also a huge part of my life, and for this reason I never stopped singing. Due to family commitments I had to take a break from public appearance but now I am hoping to perform again on a regular basis."
Manchester-based cultural organisation Krishna Chura organised a solo musical show by Shimky last year. This event virtually heralded her return to a wider group of listeners.
Krishna Chura was basically founded by a small group of Bangladeshis living in Manchester, Stockport and Macclesfield of the UK in 2014.
Dr Masih Alam and Dr Rawshan Choudhury lead the operations and communications of the organisation while Shimky herself is a founder of it.
In that event, Shimky rendered her favourite Nazrul songs like: Shaon rate jodi; Bhoria poran shunitechi gan; Mor pria hobe eso rani; Laily tomar esechhe phiria; and Shure o banir mala diye tumi.
Shimky did not work for any solo album during her golden years.
Her Nazrul songs were, however, included in the numbers of two records and five cassettes produced by Dhaka-based Nazrul Institute in '90s.
But the artiste long nursed her dissatisfaction when it comes to a solo album, as she was not offered to do so.
"I was not given the opportunity to produce an album of my own," she told the FE. "I had always maintained the attitude that I would not ask for any favour. I thought a talent should be appreciated without the need for any request."
But the sensitivity of the artiste is yet to be understood properly. Respecting the sensitivity, her husband Dr Maqsud Salehin, however, came forward.
"My husband wanted my songs to be recorded and, therefore, privately arranged a recording," Shimky said. "A music producer arranged for this to be published through Sonali Products. I assume it is now available in Bangladesh but I never had any conversation with Sonali Products, nor did I receive any remuneration from them."
The album titled 'Shaon Asilo Fire' contains 12 Nazrul Songs sung by Shimky and released in March last in Dhaka. The full album is also available on YouTube. But, it is unfair that an artiste like Shimky is not properly honoured.
Shimky is quite respectful to her seniors like Shabnam Mushtari, Sadya Afreen Mallick, Fatema Tuz Zohra and Ferdous Ara.
"Although they are all my respectable seniors, I was honoured to be able to perform with them in the same programmes on stages, TV and Radio," she said. Her favourite Nazrul Sangeet singer is late Nilufar Yasmin.
On the current trend of Nazrul Sangeet, the vocalist says she has some disappointment because of not following the original tune.
"Many are singing without paying required attention to original tune and notation of Nazrul Sangeet," she told this writer while talking on telephone.
In the age of You Tube, even some old songs sung by Shimky are now available in the virtual world alongside the current performances.
Avid listeners will find that Shimky's current rendering has slightly deviated from that long two decades back.
Nevertheless, the return of Shimky is a pleasant surprise for her admirers and Nazrul Sangeet connoisseurs. It is now to see how she mesmerises her listeners again.
